Gain insights into Python 3's new syntax, data types, strings, bytes, and iterators through interactive coding samples. Upgrade your Python skills with hands-on, real-time code modifications.

Are you ready to take the plunge into Python 3? You might be just getting started with Python or you might be someone who understands Python2 and now wants to upgrade to Python 3. This course is designed to help you achieve your goal faster.

Learn about the new syntax, data types, strings, bytes, iterators and much more with interactive coding samples. Execute code using interactive playgrounds, modify the code to see your changes in action and get yourself upgraded to the newest version of Python that is here to stay for a while.

This course is derived from Dive into Python 3 by Mark Pilgrim. See License for more details.
Dive in and become a Python expert!

Python 3: An interactive deep dive

Python is fully object-oriented: you can define your own classes, inherit from your own or built-in classes, and instantiate the classes you’ve defined.

Defining a class in Python is simple. As with functions, there is no separate interface definition. Just define the class and start coding. A Python class starts with the reserved word `class`, followed by the class name. Technically, that’s all that’s required, since a class doesn’t need to inherit from any other class.

class PapayaWhip:  #①
    pass           #②


①	The name of this class is `PapayaWhip`, and it doesn’t inherit from any other class. Class names are usually capitalized, `EachWordLikeThis`, but this is only a convention, not a requirement.

②	You probably guessed this, but everything in a class is indented, just like the code within a function, `if` statement, `for` loop, or any other block of code. The first line not indented is outside the class.

This `PapayaWhip` class doesn’t define any methods or attributes, but syntactically, there needs to be something in the definition, thus the `pass` statement. This is a Python reserved word that just means “move along, nothing to see here”. It’s a statement that does nothing, and it’s a good placeholder when you’re stubbing out functions or classes.

>*The **pass** statement in Python is like a empty set of curly braces (**{}**) in Java or C.*

Many classes are inherited from other classes, but this one is not. Many classes define methods, but this one does not. There is nothing that a Python class absolutely must have, other than a name. In particular, C++ programmers may find it odd that Python classes don’t have explicit constructors and destructors. Although it’s not required, Python classes can have something similar to a constructor: the `__init__()` method.

# The `__init__()` Method

This example shows the initialization of the `Fib` class using the `__init__` method.

Your First Python Program

Native Datatypes

Comprehensions

Strings

Regular Expressions

Closures & Generators

Classes & Iterators

Advanced Iterators

Unit Testing

Refactoring

Files

XML

Serializing Python Objects

HTTP Web Services

Case Study: Porting chardet to Python 3

Packaging Python Libraries

Appendix : Where To Go From Here

Defining Classes